Archival newsreel footage from the film’s première (1:45)•
Trailer (1:53)•
Hostel Forces, a new video essay by critic David
Cairns (15:21)•
36-PAGE BOOKLET featuring vintage writing on the film by
critic Tony Rayns; a testimonial about King Hu by Tsui Hark;
an analysis of Hu’s style by Edmond Wong; the eight
characteristics of “the inn” in King Hu’s films and archival
images

A quintessential entryway into the highly stylized, tightly
choreographed wuxia genre of martial arts cinema, Dragon Inn
was a global breakthrough for the form's greatest
practitioner, King Hu. Its influence remains incalculable,
from its annihilation of traditional expectations of what
kind of role an actress should inhabit (also chipped away at
by Hu's previous masterpiece
Come Drink with Me), to the formation of many of the
genre's archetypes - such as the Eunuch, the Swordswoman,
and the Family of Murdered Loyal Officials - that are still
recognizable in the martial arts films of today.

It's the middle of the Ming Dynasty. The powerful eunuch Cao
(Pai Ying) has killed the Loyal Minister Yu, and Yu's
children are exiled to the border, whereupon Cao undertakes
efforts to massacre the remnants of the family. As Yu's
children take refuge in the Dragon Gate Inn, Xiao the
righteous swordsman (Shih Jun) and the surviving loyalists
of Minister Yu engage in a series of battles to the death
against the forces of the blood thirsty eunuch.

After having returned to the spotlight in 2003 as the
backdrop for Tsai Ming-liang's modern classic
Good Bye Dragon Inn, Hu's film is again resurrected
by way of the dazzling 2014 4K restoration presented here.
The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Dragon
Inn for the first time in the UK in a Dual Format
special edition.

The Film:

1967's "Dragon Inn" ("Long men kezhan" in
Mandarin, also known as "Dragon Gate Inn") is kind of a big deal. It's
the first film that director King Hu did in Taiwan after leaving Shaw Brothers,
in many ways jump-starting that country's film industry. It's been remade and
referenced, and its DNA shows up in many movies beyond Hu's "inn films". And
most importantly, it's a terrific wuxia film in it's own right.

Minister of Defense Wu Chien has just been executed, thanks in part to lies
spread by eunuch Tsao Shao-chin (Bai Ying), who controls both the secretive
Eastern Agency and Palace Guards. The Emperor has allowed Wu's family to live in
exile, but Tsao figures this will just lead to revenge, and when the first
attempt to assassinate them fails, he dispatches the agencies' top swordsmen, Pi
Hsiao-tang (Miao Tien) and Mao Tsung-hsien (Han Ying-chieh) to Dragon Gate, when
the Wus will cross into Mongolia. They commandeer the local inn, but others also
arrive ahead of the Wus: Hsiao Shao-tzu (Shih Chun), a friend of innkeeper Wu
Ning (Cho Kin) is first, and then travelers Mr. Chu (Hsieh Han) and Ms. Chu
(Polly Shang-kuan) - and the more justice-minded new arrivals have considerable
skills with the sword themselves.

The art of martial-arts filmmaking took a leap into bold new territory
with this action-packed tale of Ming-dynasty intrigue. After having the
emperor’s minister of defense executed, a power-grabbing eunuch sends
assassins to trail the victim’s children to a remote point on the
northern Chinese border. But that bloodthirsty mission is confounded by
a mysterious group of fighters who arrive on the scene, intent on
delivering justice and defending the innocent. The first film King Hu
made after moving to Taiwan from Hong Kong in search of more creative
freedom, Dragon Inn combines rhythmic editing, meticulous choreography,
and gorgeous widescreen compositions with a refinement that was new to
the wuxia genre. Its blockbuster success breathed new life into a
classic formula and established Hu as one of Chinese cinema’s most
audacious innovators.

***

When it comes to martial arts films, 1967 was a huge, formative year.
The first mega-hit of the genre,
The One-Armed Swordsman, made Jimmy Wang Yu a star and cemented
director Chang Cheh as the genre’s leading visionary. Just a few months
after the release of that film, director King Hu, having recently left
the Shaw Brothers after creative differences on
Come Drink with Me,
unleashed Dragon Inn. As an independent film out of Taiwan it may
not have had the budget or the clout of the Shaw Brothers studio behind
it, but Dragon Inn is arguably more well-known than almost all
the 1960s martial arts films from the Shaw studio. I knew all this going
into Dragon Inn, and even with an incredible amount of historical
hype behind it, Dragon Inn wowed me with its cinematic artistry
and an ahead-of-its-time ability to craft thrilling martial arts
sequences through editing.

The story of Dragon Inn is a well-known one, but that doesn’t
impede the film’s ability to enthrall. The government is corrupt and
controlled by devious eunuchs, and our story begins as Zhao Shao Qin, a
eunuch with unparalleled power, orders the execution of General Yu, a
good man who was framed. Yu’s family is sent to the remote outpost of
Dragon Gate, where Zhao has plans to murder them far from the watchful
eyes of civilization. He sends a delegation of his most powerful
soldiers to await the family’s arrival at the inn, but thankfully
there’s a few people at Dragon Gate still loyal to General Yu and his
resilient spirit.

Image : NOTE:The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.

King Hu's Dragon Inn
is sweeeeet on
Blu-ray
from The Masters of Cinema group in the UK. The restoration
of this film is part of the "Taiwan Film Classics Digital
Restoration and Value-Adding Project" commissioned by the
Ministry of Culture to Chinese Taipei Film Archive in 2013.
The 1080P transfer is dual-layered with a max'ed out bitrate
and supports the film's textures beautifully in the original
2.35:1 aspect ratio. Colors are deep and tight and depth is
frequently apparent. This
Blu-ray
offers a rich, mesmerizing 1080P presentation with
exceptional contrast. I was thrilled with the presentation!

The
Criterion is advertised as "New 4K digital restoration,
supervised by cinematographer Hua Hui-ying". The
Criterion restoration is also part of the "Taiwan Film
Classics Digital Restoration and Value-Adding Project"
commissioned by the Ministry of Culture to Chinese Taipei
Film Archive in 2013. Like the Masters of Cinema it is on a
dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate. The Criterion
colors are a shade richer, black levels deeper and the
visuals are exported slightly more crisply. You can even see
it in the un-expanded captures below. The UK might show more
texture but the Criterion is a step up in detail and there
is a slight variance in the frame with the MoC looking
marginally vertically stretched. You would have to have
quite the discerning system to identify significant
variance.

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY
CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

1)
Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' -Blu-ray-TOP

2)
Criterion - Region 'A' -Blu-ray-BOTTOM

1)
Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' -Blu-ray-TOP

2)
Criterion - Region 'A' -Blu-ray-BOTTOM

1)
Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' -Blu-ray-TOP

2)
Criterion - Region 'A' -Blu-ray-BOTTOM

1)
Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' -Blu-ray-TOP

2)
Criterion - Region 'A' -Blu-ray-BOTTOM

1)
Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' -Blu-ray-TOP

2)
Criterion - Region 'A' -Blu-ray-BOTTOM

Audio :

The audio is
transferred via a linear PCM 1.0 channel mono channel track at 1152
kbps. The film's sounds are a unique blend - but common, I suppose, to
the Wuxia genre with smashing cracks of violent kicks and punches and a
dynamic score by Lan-Ping Chow and, un-credited, Ta Chiang Wu. It is
very Spaghetti western-esque at times.In David Cairns Hostel
Forces video essay supplement he appropriately remarks that the
music occasionally sounds like "a needle dropping on vinyl - paving
the way for Quentin Tarantino's mashups." It is odd, but no doubt
accurate to the film's original production - even the squeaky high-end
must surely be part of the presentation. There are optional English
subtitles and m

Criterion have the
same audio transfer - a linear PCM mono track, in original Mandarin,
24-bit. I couldn't notice any difference. The Criterion also offers
optional English subtitles and their
Blu-ray
is Region 'A'-locked.

Extras :

There is some poor quality archival newsreel footage from
the film’s première in Taipei and a new MoC trailer but the best digital
supplement is a 15-minute video essay, entitled, Hostel Forces,
by critic David Cairns. He gives a brief history of Hu's work evoking
Sergio Leone, Hitchcock, Charlton Heston's entrance in
El Cid etc. finding supportive references in Dragon Inn.
He talks about the camera angles, one-dimensional characters and is
amused by the frequent conflict set-ups and facial expressions. It's
wonderful and I only wish it was longer. The package contains a 36-page
liner notes booklet featuring vintage writing on the film by critic Tony
Rayns; a testimonial about King Hu by Tsui Hark; an analysis of Hu’s
style by Edmond Wong; the eight characteristics of “the inn” in King
Hu’s films and archival images. Being dual-format we also get a, second
disc, DVD.

Criterion include a
new 10-minute interview with actor Shangkuan Ling-fung recalling her
work on Dragon Inn with director King Hu. There is also an 11-minute
interview from 2016 with actor Shih Chun detailing the actor’s
experiences making Dragon Inn. I enjoyed the 25-minute new scene
analysis by author and New York Asian Film Festival cofounder Grady
Hendrix. She discusses director King Hu’s aesthetic sensibility via
analysis of a scene from Dragon Inn. WE also get a short video of
Newsreel footage of the film’s 1967 premiere in Taipei, Taiwan showing
the cultural impact of Dragon Inn upon its release. There is also a
trailer and the package has a booklet with an essay by critic Andrew
Chan.

Masters of Cinema - Region
'B' -Blu-ray

Criterion -
Region 'A' -Blu-ray

BOTTOM LINE: Dragon Inn is a film that added respectability to the Wuxia genre. King Hu is remarkable and his direction alone makes this a
rewarding viewing. The film hardly needs my endorsement -
this is a classic - looking and sounding as good as it ever
will in digital - and the Masters of Cinema extras add even
more value. This
Blu-ray gets our highest recommendation! Don't miss this!

The Criterion nudges ahead with the 4K restored transfer and
extras - although both have immense value. The film gets
better each time I see it...

Gary Tooze

October 21st, 2015

June 7th, 2018

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Shaw Brothers-Martial Arts-Wushu or related films on
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About the Reviewer:
Hello, fellow Beavers! I have been interested in film
since I viewed a Chaplin festival on PBS when I was
around 9 years old. I credit DVD with expanding my
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Although I never wanted to become one of those guys who
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find HD is swiftly pushing me in that direction.